Ceferin Says Infantino’s Failed World Cup Proposal Was ‘Worse Than the Super League’

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has branded Gianni Infantino’s failed proposal to sell interests in the World Cup as “more harmful than the Super League project”. He also warned the under-pressure Fifa leader that he is likely to face a challenger if he seeks another term next March.

Ceferin has spearheaded Uefa’s united opposition to the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal, which was abandoned in early August following widespread resistance. Uefa continues to press for Infantino’s resignation, with backing from Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation. The European governing body has also kept open the possibility of boycotting Fifa tournaments while discussing a joint Nations League competition with Concacaf.

Speaking on the podcast The Rest is Politics: Leading, Ceferin argued that Infantino’s initiative posed a greater threat than the separatist Super League, which collapsed in 2021 after intense public opposition. He said the earlier proposal involved major clubs attempting to establish a separate competition, a move he believed would have severely damaged football. In his view, however, the newer scheme risked effectively selling the game itself.

Ceferin said he was convinced the FFE proposal had been permanently abandoned. He added that preventing another effort to commercialise ownership of the sport was the main priority, stressing that football belongs to everyone and should not be sold.

Reports earlier this month suggested that Infantino had discussed operating the Super League under Fifa’s name. Ceferin believes such an idea is unlikely to return for many years. Although he acknowledged that circumstances could change over the next two decades, he said cooperation between the relevant parties remained strong and ruled out a revival within the next 10 years.

Infantino spent much of the weekend attempting to secure support from Concacaf representatives during a gathering in the Dominican Republic, reportedly angering several attendees. Ceferin disclosed that the two officials had not communicated since the FFE controversy emerged and suggested that Infantino now had fewer options for remaining in office.

Ceferin said Infantino could acknowledge that he no longer commanded sufficient backing, not only among voting officials but also across the broader football community. He pointed specifically to supporters, current and former players, and coaches as groups whose confidence would matter.

Alternatively, Ceferin said Infantino could contest the March election, in which case he expected another candidate to stand against him, although he did not know who that would be. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has been mentioned as a possible challenger should Infantino seek re-election in Rabat.

Despite having supporters of his own, Ceferin dismissed the possibility of pursuing the Fifa presidency. He argued that staying out of the contest strengthened his credibility. The Slovenian official is expected to face no opposition when he seeks a fourth term as Uefa president in next April’s election.

When questioned about Infantino’s close association with Donald Trump, which developed before the latest World Cup, Ceferin warned against viewing any politician as a genuine personal friend. He said political relationships can quickly end whenever an individual becomes an inconvenience.

The relationship attracted further scrutiny last month after Trump said he had contacted Infantino to request a review of the red card shown to United States forward Folarin Balogun. Balogun’s suspension for the last-16 match against Belgium was subsequently put on hold. Ceferin described the episode as deeply alarming, arguing that a competition loses credibility when its own regulations are not upheld. He added that many people shared his concern, even if some were unwilling to express it publicly.

In another indication of European resistance to Infantino, the six Nordic football federations released a joint statement declaring that they no longer trusted the Fifa president and were seriously troubled by the organisation’s governance and senior-level decisions. They demanded enforceable guarantees preventing private ownership from being introduced into Fifa’s administration or competitions and requested a comprehensive independent investigation of the FFE proposal.

At the beginning of August, the Norwegian Football Federation became the first national association to publicly demand Infantino’s resignation.

After leaving the Dominican Republic, Infantino travelled directly to Paris on Sunday to attend the Esports World Cup closing ceremony. Broadcast images showed him greeting French president Emmanuel Macron.